Sol Magazine
www.sol-magazine.org
June 2004 Edition
 © 2004 Sol Magazine


Sol Magazine, A Poetry Journal:    An international organization of Members and Volunteers interested in the education of poets.  E-mail us at Sol.Magazine@prodigy.net .  For Submission Requirements and Membership information, visit: http://www.sol-magazine.org.
 


SPONSORS:
KAY LAY EARNEST
SOL MAGAZINE

JUDGES:
KATHY PAUPORE
PAULA MARIE BENTLEY
MARY BURLINGAME


 



FEATURED ARTICLE - June
Note: This link is on a separate web page and will exit you from the current edition.
  •  Poetry Works: "Poet Laureate of the United States, 2003-2004:  Louise Glück"
  • CONTENTS of this page:

    NOTE:  Because of staff vacations, only one contest was held in June.
     
     
    DEDICATION:  To Sol Magazine's all volunteer staff—these hard-working dedicated folks have other jobs and interests, yet take many hours each month in which to pull together interesting contests, informative material, and a final edition that showcases the work of many poets.  Thank you for everything!  


    LAGNIAPPE:  FRIENDSHIP
    FORM: SET STANZAS
    JUDGES:  KATHY PAUPORE, PAULA MARIE BENTLEY, MARY BURLINGAME
    SPONSORS:  KAY LAY EARNEST, SOL MAGAZINE

    FIRST PLACE
    WINNER OF A $30.00 ELECTRONIC BOOK GIFT CERTIFICATE

    Arachne’s Daughters, Micah and Me
     
    I trade a thread of rust for hers of umber.
    We met in the dusty streets of cities that don’t exist.
    I had written about mine. She had illustrated hers.
    We stood on each other’s thresholds,
    Looking into a land of “oohs” and “ahhs.”

    The shuttle flies back to me with a contrail of silver.
    Laughing, I stomp the pedals of our loom, fling it back
    Winged with the gold of distant suns. Between us,
    We weave images with words and colors. We are
    The warp and weft of the worlds we share.

    Threads fine as spiderfloss, threads thick as wool …
    We work out the tangles with patient fingertips.
    We watch nature and mankind, blend fantasy and reality,
    Sculpt silk and sand. This is our passion, our discipline.
    Even if we were blind our hands would know their way.

    The loom sings the deep-throated music of our love
    For this weaving of words, for the friendship we share. I
    Send off summer-colored yarns and receive tropical sunsets
    In return. The moments of our lives glitter in the sun. We
    Inspire one another, make our threads brighter, stronger.

    Cerulean peace, fizzy crimson indignation, white hope:
    We weave our lives together with these threads. We cut
    The cloth from its frame, hang it flapping for all to see,
    Holding tight to each other. Tapestries. Histories. Yes.
    We are Arachne’s daughters, Micah and me.

    We weave fate in pictures and fiction…some times in fact.

    Elizabeth Barrette, Charleston, IL, USA

    COMMENTS:  There is lovely movement throughout this poem with the parallel of weaving and friendship.  Good use of color and descriptive words.  The metaphor of weaving has been used many times before in poetry, but rarely with such skill and balance as in this poem.  The poet shows how the communication and understanding between two people grows into a beautifly woven friendship.  Wonderful use of color.  Inspiring, triumphant tone.
    ==========
    SECOND PLACE
    WINNER OF A $20.00 ELECTRONIC BOOK GIFT CERTIFICATE
    Smelling the Roses With Pat Meeks

    Aha!  Here we are, relishing our slowdown years
    after eighty plus between us, work-force duties
    and demands of nine to five have ceased, leaving time
    for grandsons’ visitations and hours to pen

    and improve this craft we’ve longed to perfect,
    polish and smooth out.  Dictionaries and Thesauruses
    lay opened throughout our home as ink fills blank
    paper and inner thoughts of emotions are waiting
     
    to see print.  The first draft written by me
    and proofread by Pat; he checks correct uses of words,
    spelling, phrases, singular or plural tenses,
    subject and verb parallels, then sometimes

    suggestions erupt into spells of opposition
    until I realize, he’s the English graduate; I’m the
    "I wish I had gone in that field" graduate.
    We compromise, the message mine, refined words his;

    we let it blossom while we visit our grandsons, our roses.

    Carol Meeks, Artesia, NM, USA

    COMMENTS:  Enjoyable look at a friendship shared through writing.  Wouldn't we all like to give up the 9-5 and spend our time writing!  Good use of enjambment to
    pull the reader along.
    ==========
    THIRD PLACE
    WINNER OF A $10.00 ELECTRONIC BOOK GIFT CERTIFICATE
    James William Hightower
     
    Each day I total up my problems
    And call them in to Jim
    He assigns a numeric value for each
     
    Like an auditor enters them on a spreadsheet
    Before calculating the current summary
    James asks me for my list of pleasures
     
    Then arrives at a positive balance
    I am reminded of his favorite quote:
    Friendship divides sorrow
     
    And multiplies joy
     
    Kay Lay Earnest, Smyrna, GA, USA
    COMMENTS:  Effective use of enjambment.  Interesting look at friends balancing the good with the bad.  The familiar phrase, "Friendship divides sorrow/and multiplies joy," seems fresh here and makes a wonderful closing.  Friendship and mathmatics seem an unlikely pairing for metaphor, but in this poem, the comparison is perfect.  Like any good formula, there is nothing superflous in this poem.  While every word fits neatly, the emotional power of the poem is greater
    than the sum of its parts.
    ==========
    HONORABLE MENTION

    Knitting with Sarah

    It's the second Tuesday of the month.
    I'm frazzled, tired, about to unravel but in
    the back of my mind I'm excited. I'll be seeing
    Sarah tonight. Without fail for the last
    seven years we've met at the bookstore

    café across town, needles and wool of
    many colours in tow. With every knit and
    purl we share the bits and pieces of our lives,
    good and bad, but mostly we talk about
    nonsense like what we would do if we

    met Brad Pitt. For seven years we've
    exchanged our ideas, our patterns, and our
    needles. What started as a knitting group has
    become a rendezvous for two. After hours
    laughing, coffee and a few rows of

    knitting, (Sometimes only a row because
    of more chatting than knitting.) we'll pack
    up our gear. A warm hug like the softest sweater
    ends our evening. I'll return home, refreshed,
    ready to face my life not quite forgotten.

    A new outlook and kiss for my husband
    and then I'll check on the kids fast asleep in
    bed. My bag gets tucked in the closet until the
    next Tuesday when I can steal away a few
    hours. Sharing a sliver of myself with

    Sarah brings the frayed edges of my life together.

    M. E. Wood, Belleville, ON, CAN
    COMMENTS:  Nice tribute to a lasting friendship and how it does pull our edges
    together and help us look at things more clearly.  Well-chosen words that emphaise the warmth of the relationship.
     



    Questions?  E-mail Mary Margaret Carlisle, Managing Editor: Sol.Editor@prodigy.net

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    We hate to ask, but providing prizes for our winning poets is an non-ending task.  Over the years we've offered many locking diaries, hundreds of book gift certificates and bookmarks, uncounted books and chapbooks, and even a few picnic baskets!  Only about one-fourth of our prizes come from Sponsors, and the rest are donated by co-founders Leo F. Waltz and Mary Margaret Carlisle.  Please consider adding your name to the list.  Become a Sol Sponsor.  Write to Sol.Editor@prodigy.net for more information.